Black Balloon
by The Great Aerosmith
Summary: A triple murder involving an infant in 1998 may not be what it seems when a phone call is made to the Philly PD 16 years after the murders. The team must find the killer of a high school senior and the truth of what happened to her friend and nephew the night of the murder to find out if they're bringing home two bodies, or a mother and son who have been on the run for 16 years.
1. Chapter 1

_November 5__th__, 1998_

_Baby's black balloon makes her fly_

A young girl swerves through a hoard of pedestrians, kicking her foot a few times on the sidewalk to give her scooter more speed as she rode by. People turn to yell at her as the spin around to avoid her, but their curses are taken by the windy November afternoon. The girl turns her head ever so slightly, lifting her middle finger to a woman who hit her with a flier as she hits the kick pedal on her scooter, halting it in front of a dilapidated building. Taking a breath, the girl goes in, bringing her ride with her.

_I almost fell into that hole in your life._

The girl smiles at the man behind the front desk, a small Plexiglas screen barely separating him from the residents of the building. The girl ignored the burning in her eyes as she approached him, lightly waving the marijuana smoke out of her face. She held her breathe, waiting for the man to notice her standing there. He finally glanced up and rolled his eyes, snubbing his joint against the desk.

"You again?" He muttered, smoke leaving his mouth and hitting the screen

_You're not thinking about tomorrow,_

'_Cause you are the same as me,_

"Great to see you again too, Bri!" The girl chirped, a smile spreading on her face "Is she here today?" Knowing the answer, the girl slowly made her way to the dirty, broken staircase. But out of politeness, she kept her eyed glued on "Bri"

Bri sighed and just waved the girl off, and she ran up the stairs two at a time, her scooter dragged behind her.

_But on your knees__._

The girl pushed the door with the number three on it, though the number looked like a small "c", the number long ago falling apart and now hanging upside down. The girl looked up and down the hall, slowly walking to the right, past the row of dirty white doors to the one on the very end, labeled "3G', by far the nicest of the doors.

_A thousand other boys couldn't reach you_

_How could I be the one?_

The girl slammed her fist against the door, the "3G" rattling as she did "Leia! Open up!" She yelled, looking over her shoulder warily.

Another young girl opened the door, looking startled. A small baby laid in her arms, screeching at the noise. Leia rubbed her eyes, rocking the child in her arms "Shela, what are you doing here?" Leia asked the girl, pushing a strand of raven black hair from her eyes.

Shela pushed her way into the apartment, looking around as she took a wad of cash from her pocket "I have Levi's support money." She said as she tossed it on the counter, next to a pile of bills.

_Comin' down the world turned over_

Leia closed the door and looked at the money by the bills "I-I was just getting away to paying those. Things have just been a bit hectic. They're not even overdo." She said as Shela leafed through the envelopes "Please don't tell Levi."

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_Or are you someone's prayer?_

Shela looked ate Leia and the child in her arms. She shook her head, removing the green knit cap she was wearing off her head, and ran her fingers though her dirty blonde hair "Leia, I'm not Le's spy. I've told you that a dozen times. I'm not yours either. I'm the go between for the two of you, you know that." She said as she moved from the bills and sat down on the couch.

_You know the lies they always told you_

_And the love you never knew_

Leia looked at the girl with suspicion, holding her baby close to her. Shela just gave her a smile and stood up, holding out her arms "Is that my nephew? Is that Maxie?"

Leia looked down to the baby in her arms, staring back with curious green eyes "Yeah, it is." She said, handing him over to Shela.

Shela smiled a little "He is beautiful." She looked up to Leia before looking back at Max "Like his mother."

_What's the things they never showed you_

_That swallow the light from the sun inside your room, yeah_

Leia forced a smile and mumbled a thank you, looking at Shela holding her son in her dirty apartment. It almost felt forced; this 18 year old girl about to go to Princeton holding her son. The girl with a bright future, friends with a recovering addict, the ex-girlfriend and mother to her brother and his child.

_Comin' down the world turned over_

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_Always someone there_

Shela stopped rocking the baby, looking back to Leia to give her him. Shela took one more look around the apartment before her friend "Levi will be here tomorrow to visit Max. How about you and I start cleaning this place up, yeah?"

Leia sighed and nodded, walking across the living room to Max's room, putting him gently in the crib. She walked out, Shela already grabbing some takeout cartons that was strewn around the room.

"Is he going to try and take Max away from me?" Leia asked after a few moments of silence, not daring to look up from a stain in the carpet. What was that? Milk? Soda? Juice? Piss? All she knew it was dark and still damp.

_And there's no time left for losin'_

_When you stand they fall, yeah_

Shela looked up, then threw out the cartons "Not that I know of. As far as I know, he wants nothing to do with you or Max, other than visitation of course. But let's not give him any reasons to want to take Max." Shela walked to her friend and placed her hands on Leia's shoulders "Hey, look at me."

_Comin' down the world turned over_

_And angels fall without you there_

_And I go on as you get colder_

_All because I'm_

_Comin' down the years turn over_

_And angels fall without you there_

Leia did as Shela said. Shela gave Leia a small smile and squeezed her shoulders gently, trying to let Leia knew she supported her "Levi will never get Max. He's the one who pushed you guys away, even though he wants to seem like 'Ex and dad of the year'. He's the dead beat, not you Leia. You're the one taking care of him and holding down a job. You're Max's only parent as far as anyone else is concerned."

"But what if he tries?" Leia asked, holding Shela's stare with her own.

Shela didn't even winced, but smirked "He's gonna have to get past me."

_And I'll go on and I'll lead you home and_

_All because I'm_

_All because I'm_

_And I'll become_

_What you became to me_

* * *

In the apartment, Max wails as loud as he can as a hooded figure tries to rock him, packing a bag with his formula. The figure tucked black hair behind the hood and looked back to the middle of the apartment, at a skinny dirty blonde figure lying face down on the floor. The hooded figure swallowed hard as she ran out of the apartment, duffel bag in one arm, crying baby in the other.

* * *

_December 18__th__, 2014_

"It's too cold to be waiting out here." Nick Vera complained as he clutched his coffee with one hand, looking to his friends Kat Miller and Will Jeffries to his right.

Will smirked, looking at the detective out of the corner of his eye "I thought that excess body fat kept mammals warm."

"I'm still waiting for the day he goes into hibernation." Kat said, nodding at Vera with a joking smile on her face.

"You mean every other day?" Will asked.

"Ha ha" Nick shot at them, though he couldn't help but smile a bit. He knew it was all just fun and games.

As the three finished their coffee, Lilly Rush and Scotty Valens arrived, trailing behind their captain, Lt. John Stillman. He greeted the other detective with a brief smile as the squad huddled together. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting out here in the cold."

"I didn't mind much," Nick said, smiling as he nodded to Kat and Will "But these two babies?"

Kat hit Nick's arm, causing him to rub it in mock pain. John smiled tightly, and the two looked at him with attention. He looked in no mood to joke around.

"Anyway." John said as he reached inside his over coat, taking out three files "I asked you guys to meet me so we could talk about a possible triple homicide or double kidnapping in '98."

"How come you're not sure?" Lilly asked as she took the top file from her boss and opening. A pretty girl with dark hair and green eyes stared back at her.

"Only one body was found, two missing." John answered as he gave a file to Will "That's Shela DeWalt." John said as Will looked at the picture of the dark haired blonde, her dark eyes smiling at him "18 years old, on a full ride to Princeton when she was found dead at the Wilmore Complex in Feltonville."

"Wilmore? Isn't it full of junkies and prostitutes?" Scotty asked as he leaned over Lilly's shoulder to look at the file she had "What was a soon to be Princeton kid doing there?"

"Visiting her friend, Leia Schultz," John nodded to the file Lilly and Scotty had "and Leia's son, Max Schultz." Sadly, John opened the final file, a green eyed infant smiling in the photo "Leia was a 20 year old dropout, and the ex Shela's brother, Levi DeWalt. Max was Leia and Levi's son. He was only a five months old." John sighed, looking sadly at the picture.

"I remember this case" Nick said solemnly "Someone beat DeWalt to death, and there was no sign of either Schultz. Cops thought they were killed too and the doer dumped their bodies."

John nodded "That why I said a possible triple homicide. Today is sixteen years since the murder of Shela happened. This morning, I got a call from a blocked number."

"What was the call about?" Lilly asked, but everyone knew where this was going.

"The caller said that we had it all wrong, and that Leia and Max were still alive, but were too scared to come home." John said as he played with the file "but they would come back if we got Shela's murderer behind bars. The city has been looking for them for nearly two decades. If this caller was telling the truth, we'd bring a happy ending to such a tragic case."

"And if this caller isn't?" Kat asked.

"We find Leia and Max's bodies, and give this case an ending. Either way, we catch a killer and put him or her behind bars and get justice."

The group of detectives nodded, closing the files, ready to get to work.

* * *

_**Hey! So I plan on continuing Hold on Loosely, but I couldn't help myself with this one! That's all I really gotta say about it. Hope you like!**_


	2. Chapter 2

"So, do you think this caller is legit?" Scotty asked Will as they walked up to the infamous Wilmore Complex. The building had been the same old, dirty, crumbling building it had been since it opened in 1977, and somehow it wasn't condemned. There were rumors that the Wilmore family, known for their connections, had tried to keep this place swept under the rug while still collecting rent from its tenants.

"Why would someone wait nearly two decades to claim Leia and Max are alive if they weren't? Why didn't they do it when the murder was still hot in '98?" Will asked as they walked into the filthy lobby. One quick look, it just seemed like a paint job and new furniture would fix this place right up. But as the detectives stepped over two scurrying rats, it was clear what a dive this place was. "Those things probably eat better than anyone else here." Will whispered as he and Scotty walked up to a desk with a Plexiglas screen. Obviously it was meant to protect someone behind the desk, but it barely made it two feet high and wide. "Excuse me? Philly P.D. I'm Detective Jeffries, this is Detective Valens. We were wondering if you could help us." Will said to the man behind the screen as the two flashed their badges.

The man behind the screen groaned. He had long, shaggy brown hair with gray in the front, as if he were trying to copy Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. His skin was gray but smooth, and his teeth were rotting or missing. Scotty averted his eyes away from the grotesque man as he slumped forward "And what help could I be of the Po-Po" The man asked.

"You could start with a name and how long you've been working here." Will said, looking the gaunt man in the eyes.

"Bri. Bri Winters." In an instant, he flashes to the man he was in 1998; his hair as long, but well-kept and not gray. His skin and teeth were brighter, and his frame was slightly larger. He flashed back to his present, grossly skinny self. "And uh, I don't know." Bri sniffled as he thought "Twenty-four years, maybe? Maybe more. Or less. You lose track of time here. Say, what day is it?" The last part was added in as a joke, but the officers didn't look amused.

"Do you remember a Shela DeWalt, Leia Schultz, or Max Schultz?" Will asked as he showed Bri the three smiling victims.

Bri groaned and looked away "Come on man, don't remind me. It's awful what happened to them. I'm the one who found Blondie. Shela, is it? God, I saw her every day, but the bastard who did her bash her face in so bad the only way I knew it was her was the scooter in the corner. Always rode it here." Bri looked back at the photos "I knew Leia and Max too. I rarely saw them. Shela brought them groceries and shit. But they never gave me any troubles like anyone else here. It makes me sick to think someone killed those three, including the kid. You know he was barely half a year when that sicko killed him? Disgusting." Bri shook his head "Why are you even asking? All that went down years ago."

"We got a tip on the case, we're checking out again." Scotty answered as he approached the desk "Were you here that day? You remember?"

"Yeah I remember." Bri sighed "I didn't see nothing though. I was sick, spent most of my day with my head in the shitter. When I came out, some John came down to tell me he and his lady friend heard fighting and screaming down the hall. I went to check it out, and found Shela. Wish I had seen something. Maybe I could have run after him, you know, if I saw he had Leia and Max." The Detectives gave Bri a quizzical look "What?" He spat, annoyed "Unlike everyone else, I care about the residents here. If Old Lady Wilmore would shell out the cash, I would fix this place up good."

"Right, well," Will said, putting the photos away "Do you know anyone who might want to hurt Shela or Leia?"

Bri thought for a few moments and nodded "Yeah, actually. Max's dad. He came by a few months before Maxie-boy was born, steaming and demanding Leia kill the kid. But, she was seven months, so it had to be illegally. She and Shela would have none of it."

* * *

_Could you whisper in my ear_

_The things you wanna feel_

The Plexiglas shook a few times as Bri jumped up, his eyes tired and red. He looked up through the screen at a well-dressed young man in a suit, his hair neat and short. Bri smirked a bit "If you're looking for Miss. Annie, you wanna go to the fifth floor."

"Room 3G." The man growled "The bitch won't open the door. I need you to open it for me."

Bri raised an eyebrow, noticing the man's clear rage "I ain't doing anything for you until you count from ten and relax." The man glared through the glass "I'm not kidding. I got a gun, and if you go up there, I'll shoot ya for trespassing."

The man paused and took a deep breath, his lips silently counting backwards before he looked at Bri blankly "Sorry. Please, I need to get in there and talk to someone."

Bri sighed and grabbed his key ring, motioning for the man to follow him "What's ya name kid?"

_I'd give you anythin'_

_To feel it comin'_

"Levi." The man answered plainly as he followed Bri up the steps to the third floor.

Bri forced the heavy door open as they stepped into the hall "Levi, why would a clean cut kid like you wanna hang with someone from here? We aint as popular in society as you folks." Bri said, looking Levi up and down while walking to 3G

Levi didn't answer, so Bri just shrugged and knocked on 3G "Miss. Schultz, you got a visitor." He said, knocking again. "Leia, you there?"

The door open as much as the chain would let it, and Bri looked into the eyes of the girl who sometimes would visit Leia and bring her food, and even gave Bri a candy bar now and then. "If it's Levi, tell him to fuck off."

_Do you wake up on your own_

_And wonder where you are?_

_You live with all your faults_

Bri blinked and looked at Levi "Sorry bu-" he got out before Levi shoved him aside and grabbed the door.

"Shela, you fucking bitch, open the fucking door right now!" Levi growled, kicking the door a few times "I swear to God, I will kick this door down!"

"No you won't!" Bri grabbed Levi by the back of his collar and threw him back "I won't have you breaking anything, especially when Ronda Wilmore wouldn't pay to get the door fixed." Bri pointed a finger a Levi, who was fixing his shirt "Stay." He commanded before turning to Shela. "Look, Shela, whatever is going on, I won't have this aired out in the middle of the hallway where yous guys business will be everyone's. So how about we all sit down in there and talk this out?

_I wanna wake up where you are_

_I won't say anything at all_

_So why don't you slide_

_Yeah, I'm gonna let it slide_

Shela was stoned faced, and closed the door. After a few beats past a minute, the door opened, Shela standing against it to let Bri and Levi in. Leia sat uncomfortably on the couch, squirming away with every step Levi took closer to her. Bri had the good sense to stand between them.

"What do you want, Levi?" Leia whispered, hugging her stomach and refusing to make eye contact "I told you, I'm not killing this baby." She muttered, looking up at Levi for only a beat before she looked at Shela "Please tell him."

Shela walked from her spot by the door, grabbing Levi by the shoulder and spinning him to face her "You got some balls to come back after you asked her to do that. But Guess what, Le? She's seven months. Roe V. Wade, bro. After sixth months it's illegal."

Bri watched Levi's jaw clench and unclench, her face getting red and his eyes narrowing. His face cooled down, and he let out a dry laugh, smiling "You two idiots have no idea what you're doing here." He looked to Leia, who was looking only in Levi's general direction, not him "Letting a druggie raise a kid? It'll be fucked up before it leaves the womb."

Don't you love the life you killed?

The priest is on the phone

Your father hit the wall

Your ma disowned you

"Woah, buddy," Bri said, holding up a hand and slowly walking to Levi.

"Tell me, Leia," Levi pushed Bri away, walking to Leia on the couch. He sat down and put an arm around her, his smile darkening "Why is this baby so special? Why not the one you were going to have in '93? You killed that one."

The silence was deafening. Leia stared at Levi in a mixture of anger, shock, and sadness. Her eyes filled with tears, though they didn't leave. Bri looked at Shela, who looked like someone just punched her in the face. She was rooted to her spot, studying the scene unfolding in front of her. Levi was smiling, happy to know this hidden bombshell had rocked the girls to the core. And Bri just had no idea what to do or say.

A sudden slap startled everything back to life. Leia's tears finally spilled down her cheeks, and Levi sat there, his cheek red. The smile was off his face.

"How fucking dare you." Leia said, standing up "Get out." Levi looked at her, defiantly. "Get. Out. GET OUT." Leia picked up a pillow and started hitting Levi with it, all while screaming for him to get out.

_Don't supposed I'll ever know_

_What it means to be a man_

Shela jumped to action, ripping Levi off the couch "Get out, or I'll tell Robin about how you're going to be a daddy. I don't think your new girlfriend will want to hear that."

Levi's face was angry again, but he huffed and made his way out the room. He paused and looked over his shoulder "I know a doctor who doesn't care much about the law. Give me a call when you come to your senses."

Bri watched Levi look, and glanced over at the girls. Leia was crying, Shela holding her. Bri sighed sadly, walking out of the room quietly.

_It's somethin' I can't change_

_I'll live around it_

* * *

"Why do you think Levi was so desperate for Leia to have an abortion?" Scotty asked.

Bri shrugged, but smiled a bit "Shela said he had a new girlfriend. Can't imagine she'd like to hear her boyfriend had a kid with another girl."

* * *

At the precinct, the detectives gathered around the bullpen, listening to what Scotty and Will had to say.

"So we think maybe Levi went to go take care of Leia and Max, and found Shela instead?" Kat asked, holding a cup of coffee "They got in a fight, Levi kills his sister, intentionally or accidentally, and ran? And once Leia saw what happened, took Max and bailed?"

"That, or," Lilly said as she tapped a pen on her knee "He kills Leia and Max, Shela shows up, and he kills her. Or he killed Shela first, than Leia and Max."

"We won't know until we interview Levi and some people at the Wilmore. Nick, Kat, you got talk to Levi. Will and Scotty, head back to Wilmore. Lil, I want you to come with me." John said as he grabbed his jacket.

Lilly nodded and grabbed her own "Where to?"

"I did some digging around," John explained as the two walked to the elevator "Leia and Max have been spotted in Philly for the last twelve years since '02. We're going to talk to the store clerk who first saw them."

* * *

Within half an hour, John and Lilly walked up to the counter of Gap Kids to a young woman with red hair. She glanced up when she saw the two and plastered on a smile "Hi, welcome to Gap Kids, how can I help you?"

"Detective Rush, Stillman, Philly PD." Lilly said as they flashed their badges "Is Serena Cryer here?"

The girl looked at the two and nodded "That's me. How can I help you?"

"In 2002, you said you thought you saw Leia and Max Schultz." John said, holding up pictures of them.

"Oh no, I did see them." Serena said, pointing at the photos "But, the kid was older. Anyway, I was 16 and an amateur detective, in my own head. I kept up with a lot of crimes in the city. Leia and the kid and the other girl… Something DeWalt, I think. Anyway, I was interested in that case cause of the missing bodies. But then Leia walks in and I'm like 'Woah!' and I was watching them before Leia bolted."

"Why she bolt?" Lilly asked.

"You know, I thought it was because I was looking at her funny, but…" Serena trailed off, thinking "Someone might have been following her."

* * *

_July 10__th__, 2002_

_You and I got somethin_

_But it's all and then it's nuthin to me, yeah_

Serena stands by a mannequin, watching the dark haired woman looking over some tee-shirts. She had an old, ratty, green knit cap on her head, faded jeans, and a ripped Rolling Stones tee shirt on. Besides the clothes, the woman didn't look like she came off the streets, like Serena's friend Jackie thought when the woman walked in.

Serena recognized her instantly; Leia Schultz, from the triple murder at some gross hotel in 1998. Or maybe not, because there she was, alive and well. Serena spotted a dark haired boy running around her. That had to be the son.

Putting on a friendly smile, Serena slowly walked to the woman. "Hi there." Leia jumped and looked at Serena "You need any help?"

_And I got my defenses_

_When it comes through your intentions for me, yeah_

"Oh, yeah!" Leia said as she put down the shirt "You guys don't have any Pokémon shirts, do you? My son, Ma-" Leia paused, and twirled a dark strand of hair around her finger "Michael is obsessed with the show."

Serena looked at the boy, dressed pretty simply in a white shirt and shorts with breaking sneakers, and back to Leia "Yeah, we do, follow me."

Serena walked with the mother and son to the other side of the store, where Pikachu and Ash covered shirts were. She watched Leia pull one of each shirt off the rack, examining them closely. "We have sneakers over there too. The Sketcher light up ones?" Leia looked a little confused. "Your son. Michael… his shoes."

Leia looked at Max's shoes "Oh, right, thank you."

"I'll grab you guys a pair. Hold tight." Serena hurried away from the pair and to the counter where Jackie was standing. "Hand me the phone. Now."

_And we wake up in the breakdown_

_With the things we never thought we could be, yeah_

"What's up?" Jackie asked as she handed Serena the phone.

"I can't explain right now." Serena replied as she dialed the police, looking at Leia and Max. Leia's eyes were fixed on something on the other side of the store. Serena followed her gaze, but only saw a few women walking around, ignoring each other. "Hello?" Serena said when she heard a voice on the phone "I have a tip on Max and Leia Schultz. Yeah, the two murdered in 1998."

"What? Ser, whatcha talking about?" Jackie asked, ignored.

"They're standing in front of me at Gaps Kids at-" Serena paused when she spotted Leia rushing out with Max and the shirts "H-Hey wait!" Serena dropped the phone and ran through the door, ignoring the alarms. She looked around, spotting Leia and Max running down the block. "Wait!" She screamed.

_I'm not the one who broke you_

_I'm not the one you should fear_

Leia paused and looked back at Serena, and then something behind her. Leia's eyes were wide as she started running again.

Serena spun around to see what Leia saw, but only saw someone quickly duck into a car. She watched the car quickly peel from its spot and in the direction of the mother and son, who were clearly running from it. "Oh God…" Serena whispered before running back in the store.

_We got to move you darlin_

_I thought I lost you somewhere_

_But you were never really ever there at all_

* * *

"So someone was chasing them." Lilly repeated, watching as Serena looked down at her nails.

Serena flashed back to her sixteen year old self and looked at the detectives "Yeah." She blinked, and was twenty-eight again "And I wouldn't be surprised if that person caught them."

John and Lilly walked out of the store and looked at each other. "It makes sense why Leia and Max won't come back until the killers found. They're hunted here." Lilly noted.

"Yeah, but even if they are still alive… why now? Why would they want to come back now?" John asked

Lilly shrugged "We can add that to things we got to solve."

* * *

So I'm trying to format this like a CC episode. And sometimes, they have a theme with the artists they play, and for this I'm just adding in Goo Goo Doll Lyrics. All of the lyrics are written by them. Hope you liked this chapter!


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